Results for ISO 6425 (Diver's Watch Standard)

Introducing the Winners of the 2019 Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève

This year’s GPHG saw a total of no less than 196 watches entered into the running for one of the night’s awards. The jury, presided over by Aurel Bacs, then pre-selected 84 models, divided into 14 categories. The latter included four new awards – the Iconic Watch, Diver’s Watch, Calendar and Astronomy and Horological Revelation. The outcome is similar to last year’s, with a strong ratio of independents among the winners. Out of 18 watch awards, eight were awarded to independents including Kudoke (Petite Aiguille), Ming (Horological Revelation) and newcomer Genus, (Mechanical Exception), while virtuoso watchmaker Voutilainen scooped two awards (Men’s Watch and Artistic Crafts). The biggest winner of the evening was Audemars Piguet who took home three awards including the top prize – the Aiguille d’Or – for its Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar Ultra-Thin. The watch is the world’s thinnest automatic perpetual calendar at just 6.3mm in height, achieved primarily by using a modified ultra-thin cal. 2120 as a base with a smartly designed perpetual calendar module on top that has an integrated end-of-month cam on the date wheel and a 48-month wheel with a novel geometry. Elsewhere, having lost to Genus in the Mechanical Exception category, Vacheron Constantin clinched the Innovation award with its Traditionnelle Twin Beat Perpetual Calendar. The watch addresses the problem of having to reset a perpetual calendar that has lain dormant. It utilises two balances osci...

Well-sized and very stylish, the Bremont Supermarine S301

Editor’s note: An attractive neo-vintage diver is a de rigueur part of any self-respecting watch brand’s lineup in 2019, and Bremont is no different. In fact, these days the brand has a few offerings in their stable. And one of the first options out of the gate was the handsome Supermarine S301 …  Bremont is … ContinuedThe post Well-sized and very stylish, the Bremont Supermarine S301 appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

Swatch Inaugurates New Headquarters in Biel

A long snaking building that stretches some 240m, the new Swatch headquarters in Biel, or Bienne in French, is the culmination of five years of work. Selling about 9.5m watches a year for about 450m Swiss francs of revenue, according to Swiss bank Vontobel, Swatch was the foundational company of its parent, the aptly named Swatch Group, which also owns Omega and Longines. Like many of its parent company’s recent projects, the Swatch building was designed by Japanese architect Shigeru Ban, the 2014 Pritzker Prize winner who is best known for his works of wood or paper, as well as his temporary structures for humanitarian aid. Its new home is covered in a honeycomb timber grid that incorporates windows, nine balconies and solar panels. Visible from the inside is the Swatch logo, derived from the Swiss cross, incorporated into some of the grid’s cells. And hidden within the structure is a network of wires and cables for telecommunications, electricity and the like. The Swatch headquarters, with the Omega building at the far left The Swatch building ends in La Cite du Temps, which sits in front of the Omega factory and headquarters Shigeru Ban, Nayla Hayek, and Nick Hayek Jr at the opening ceremony on October 3, 2019 The glass-walled Swatch store in front of the new headquarters With the new headquarters in the background Light, flexible and sustainable, the timber beams used for the outer structure number some 4,600, all precisely cut to fit with join with each other per...

RECOMMENDED READING: A deep dive into the future of Baselworld

Whether you’re an inveterate watch tragic, or just starting on your watch journey, the last year has been dominated by two main conversations. The drought of steel sports models (sorry guys, I got no answers for you on that one), and the future of Baselworld.  Now, if you’re coming in cold on the concept of … ContinuedThe post RECOMMENDED READING: A deep dive into the future of Baselworld appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

Sunday Rewind: Talking Watches With Jean-Claude Biver

We sit down with a champion of the Swiss watch industry to learn the stories behind the amazing watches he calls his own.

Hands-On: Urwerk UR-111C “Pistol”

The average Urwerk is distinctly sci-fi in appearance, more Star Trek than Games of Thrones. But every once in a while Urwerk gives one of its watches the ornately-fully-engraved treatment, with the latest being the UR-111C “Pistol”. It’s a one-off creation based on the UR-111C, a watch inspired by the earlier and much more expensive UR-CC1, itself modelled on the 1950s Patek Philippe ref. 3414, an experimental wristwatch nicknamed “Cobra”. The standard UR-111C has a streamlined case with a mechanical looking details, very much in the house style of Urwerk. The Pistol, in contrast, is decorated on all surfaces with an ornate motif that’s hand-engraved by Urwerk’s go-to engraver. It was commissioned by a client who has a soft spot for such engraved Urwerk watches; the UR-111C “Pistol” is his third fully engraved watch. (Editor’s note: This Pistol shares the same name as the EMC Pistol from 2015, and was decorated by the same engraver, but is a completely different model.) Inspired by 19th century French wrought iron fixtures, the motif is in relief, raised against the background by only a fraction of a millimetre but enough to give it significant depth. Add to that the refined, narrow and perfectly straight lines of the decoration, and the talent of the engraver is obvious. Credit for the work goes to Florian Güllert, an Austrian engraver who trained as a gunsmith and usually decorates firearms. Based in Klagenfurt, a city in the south of ...

Dive into the Christopher Ward C65 Trident Automatic

Editor’s note: Sometimes, amid all the hullaballoo around specifications, it’s easy to forget what makes watches fun. Sure, helium escape valves can play a part in that. But if we’re completely honest, it’s about how a watch looks on the wrist, and makes us feel. And by those metrics, the Christopher Ward C65 Trident Automatic … ContinuedThe post Dive into the Christopher Ward C65 Trident Automatic appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

Doxa Introduces the Sub 200 T.Graph in Steel

Most famous for making distinctively styled dive watches in the late 1960s and 1970s, Doxa produces pretty much the same watches today as annual limited editions. The latest is the Sub 200 T.Graph, a remake of a 1969 diver’s chronograph – the flagship model of its day and now a rare, sought-after watch. The watch was first reissued as a 50th anniversary commemorative edition with an 18k yellow gold case and bracelet at Baselworld 2019. Now the more sensible steel version has arrived, and is still faithful to the original in shape and style. Typical of 1970s design, the case is a chunky cushion shape and matched with a “beads of rice” bracelet. The dial is orange – reputedly easier to see underwater than black – with block-style markers and hands, also typical of 1970s watches. And all the luminous paint on the dial is faux vintage Super-Luminova in “old radium” colour, meant to replicate the look of the aged tritium on the vintage originals. And the bezel is Doxa’s own dual-scale bezel that has both the dive time in minutes and depth in metres, allowing for recording of time underwater without decompression stops. The movement inside is a “new old stock” Valjoux 7734, which is vintage and dates to the 1980s, but is not the same calibre as in the original. The original was powered by the Doxa cal. 287, a hand-wound movement that was a rebadged cal. 310-82 from Eberhard, a sister company of Doxa at the time. In its day, and still today, the cal. 7...

In the Haus with the new Bau Swatch Collection

To celebrate the centennial anniversary of the Bauhaus design movement, Swatch have released the Bau Swatch Collection of 25 new watches inspired by the pre-WWII German school of design. The Bauhaus design philosophy has had significant impact on a number of watch designs over the years, including from Patek Philippe, Nomos and Stowa. Now Swatch … ContinuedThe post In the Haus with the new Bau Swatch Collection appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

Editorial: The Pursuit of Greatness in Vintage Complications

There is no real point in collecting anything unless for the sake of beauty. The moment I see a watch for the first time is always the most crucial. The pieces that ended up entering the collection always touched me viscerally when I first saw them.  Over time, almost unconsciously, as the collection took shape, the watches not only have a uniformity of standard and taste, but also reflect an intuition distinctly my own.  Taste is the developed perception of aesthetics unique to every collector, while standard pertains to quality and rarity. In the big picture, “beauty” – in both tangible and abstract terms – has come to encompass all three: aesthetics, quality, and rarity.  The watches I crave and seek, be it the best examples of the most important references of the most important manufactures, or unique “time-only” examples of incredible quality and design, must be eternal in their beauty. In this article we delve into a few complicated watches close to my heart.  Passing time cannot affect an object that is truly beautiful. Just look at two of the most important Patek Philippe landmark complicated references: ref. 1518, the first perpetual calendar chronograph wristwatch in the world, and ref. 3448, the first self-winding, perpetual calendar wristwatch. Their designs are perfectly balanced, timeless, as fresh today as when they were first introduced – in the early 1940s and the early 1960s, respectively.  For years, the daunting challenge had been in ...

The Dive Master

Editor-at-Large Ken Kessler contemplates how watch trends form and how that allows the value purchase market to punch above its weight.

Review: Deep dive with the De Bethune DB28GS Grand Bleu

Hands on detailed review of the De Bethune DB28 GB Grand Bleu. A diving watch rated to 105m inspired by the movie Grand Bleu where the hero dives to 105m.

The Codek Spiral: The Intersection of Design and Art

The Codek Spiral is a bold watch. Part of the danger of wandering outside the lanes of standard design styles is that the identity of the watch can get lost. The Spiral is mostly a dress watch, however it is not clearly a dress watch.

INTRODUCING: The Blancpain Fifty Fathoms ‘Nageurs de Combat’ 

Like it or not, the origin story of Blancpain’s famous diver is inseparable from that of naval warfare. The development of the original watch was driven by two men, Captain Robert Maloubier and Lieutenant Claude Riffaud, who were in charge of a newly formed French unit, the Combat Swimmers - or Nageurs de Combat. They … ContinuedThe post INTRODUCING: The Blancpain Fifty Fathoms ‘Nageurs de Combat’  appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

NEWS: Gold Rolex Daytona gifted by F1 legend Ayrton Senna to be auctioned in Geneva

Geneva watch auction season is rolling around again, and one of the stars of the show is this watch, a 1989 Rolex Daytona in gold. It’s being auctioned by Phillips, at their Geneva Watch Auction: Nine, on May 11 and 12.  From the dial side, it seems to be a stock standard reference 16528; in … ContinuedThe post NEWS: Gold Rolex Daytona gifted by F1 legend Ayrton Senna to be auctioned in Geneva appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

VIDEO: An everyday all-star – the Tissot Chemin des Tourelles

A little while ago I posited that the Tissot Seastar 1000 Powermatic 80 was the best-value diver of 2018, a bold claim I still back. Today, it’s time to meet the Seastar’s dressy cousin, the Chemin des Tourelles. This watch is powered by the same, quite impressive Powermatic 80 as the Seastar, but on the … ContinuedThe post VIDEO: An everyday all-star – the Tissot Chemin des Tourelles appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

Citizen Promaster NY008 Asia Limited Series Divers

Citizen is offering an updated line-up known as the Citizen Promaster NY008 Asia Limited Series, which offers a variety of new dial options and capitalizes off the previous collection's limited military connection.

Swatch Group-Audemars Piguet Collaboration Creates Non-Magnetic Balance Spring

The Swatch Group announced on 29 August the creation of a revolutionary balance spring with exceptional paramagnetic characteristics. This balance spring is made from a new non-magnetic compensating alloy called Nivachron™ which the Swatch Group developed in collaboration with Audemars Piguet.

Swatch X Platform Lets You Customize Your Swatch

Our thoughts on the new Swatch X customizable watch platform and how much fun it can be for collectors old and new.

HANDS-ON: The Swatch Sistem51 Irony – perfect for the Christmas stocking

Need the perfect last-minute Christmas gift for the watch lover in your life? We recommend the fun and fantastic Swatch Sistem51 Irony.The post HANDS-ON: The Swatch Sistem51 Irony – perfect for the Christmas stocking appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

WIN: Complete our survey and you could win the Oris Divers Sixty-Five 42mm OR the sold out bronze Carl Brashear Limited Edition

Time is more precious than ever, which is why when we ask for 10 minutes of yours, we want to make sure it’s worth your while. In our first ever survey in 2015, we offered the first blue Tudor Pelagos to land in Australia as a prize for telling us your thoughts and to share where you’re … ContinuedThe post WIN: Complete our survey and you could win the Oris Divers Sixty-Five 42mm OR the sold out bronze Carl Brashear Limited Edition appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

Review: Tudor Pelagos

Tudor releases a blue model to the popular Pelagos diver’s collection. Made popular during the 60s and 70s, Tudor’s divers’ watch is closely tied to its intensive use by underwater professionals, particularly by world’s major navies. The brand’s diving collection are authentic tool watches, meant for real use, rather than just mere display. Bearing its past tradition, theRead More

Baselworld 2014: Hands On With The Breitling Emergency 2 (Live Pics)

Compared to a diver’s watch, which has rather strict definitions of what it is required to have before it can be classed as such, the pilot’s watch remains in a kind of no-man’s land. What constitutes a pilot’s watch then depends rather more on opinion than objective fact.  The fluidity at which opinion changes as to […]

Review of the Swatch Sistem 51

Swatch Sistem 51 review of watch

A Record Three REVOLUTION Awards For The Swatch Group

Since its inception in 2005, REVOLUTION has honoured the very best of the watch world with its annual awards round-up. Every year, the eagerly anticipated REVOLUTION Awards presents in a range of categories such as Best Men’s Watch, Best Design, Man of the Year and Lifetime Achievement. In 2012, the Swatch Group netted two REVOLUTION […]

Padel Is Now Watchmaking’s Newest Court of Play

The Vaer G2 Meridian Is an Affordable Take on the Iconic Pepsi GMT

A review of the Vaer G2 Meridian GMT, exploring its lightweight wear, quartz-driven practicality, and how it fits into the world of Pepsi bezel GMT watches.

Oris at Watches and Wonders 2026: The Star is Reborn and the Artelier Complication returns

Universal Genève Is Back. Here's What You Need to Know About the New Watches

An iconic Swiss watchmaker, known for avant-garde designs and inventive movements, picks up where it left off.More

Which Brands Make The Best High-Accuracy Quartz Watches?

These five watchmakers occupy the upper echelon of high-tech timekeeping efficiency.More